Christmas at The Burrow
by xoxoVanillaOrchidxoxo
Summary: It's Christmas 1977, told through the eyes of a young mother of three: Molly Weasley. Written for the International Wizarding School Championship Practice Round.


**A/N: Written for the International Wizarding School Championship**

 **School: Beauxbatons**

 **Year: Year 1**

 **Theme: Christmas/Family**

 **Prompt: 1.) The Burrow (Setting), 9.) Popcorn Strings (Object), 10.) Red Polka-Dot Apron (Clothing)**

 **Word Count: 937**

The snow sprinkled down towards the ground at a dizzying rate outside the quiet village of Ottery St. Catchpole. The young mother sighed as she dusted her hands on her apron. It was old and ragged; _I could really use another one,_ she mused to herself. She put the dinner rolls in the oven and checked on the ham; it was almost perfect.

On Christmas Eve, the Weasley family would put away all wands and magic and kick it "Muggle-Style." Molly would cook a spectacular meal while her husband, Arthur, and her three sons, Bill, Charlie, and Percy, would look for a suitable tree in the nearby woods. Or, more accurately, Arthur would pull little Percy, a sweet little toddler, on a sled, while Charlie, a rambunctious little five-year-old, would dash around every which way, intent on finding 'the perfect tree,' while getting himself lost. Very lost. Then there was Bill, her eldest son. He was very patient and studious, especially for a seven-year-old who shared DNA with Charlie. He would look over every tree slowly and thoughtfully before he made his verdict. A very quiet boy, Bill had been known to bestow, albeit unexpected, wisdom at the best time possible. Molly smiled; she could picture the scene that her beloved family was probably starring in, out tromping around in the woods.

Fifteen minutes later, Molly was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of stomping boots at the door. She stayed seated as her loved ones brought the tree in; she was currently tangled up in a seven-foot-long popcorn string that she had been working on all day.

"Mummy!" Charlie exclaimed, running over to his mother and grabbing a fistful of popcorn in his small hand and shoving it into his mouth.

"Hey baby. Don't eat too much popcorn. You don't want to spoil your appetite for our dinner!"

"Dinner!" Charlie shouted, bobbing up and down. Christmas was his favorite holiday ever, mostly due to the gifts and lots of good food.

Molly smiled, getting up. She hugged Bill and picked up little Percy, giving Arthur a quick peck on the cheek. She shepherded them towards the dining room, and, after getting Percy in his high chair, went to the kitchen with the help of Bill. She brought out dinner rolls, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, a light salad, and, of course, the ham. She had Bill bring out the silverware and the fancy sodas. After saying what they were grateful for and a quick blessing, they carved the ham and dug in. Everything was delicious, of course.

"Molly, we ran into Amos Diggory when we were out hunting around for a tree. Apparently he was looking 'round for some fir boughs to use in the fire. He had his wife's cousins and their families over to meet little Cedric and to spend the holidays."

"Oh, that's so sweet. We'll have to go over sometime soon to visit," Molly said, eyes never leaving the slice of ham she was cutting into small bits for Charlie to eat.

"Yes, great people those Diggorys are," Arthur commented, ladling some gravy onto his mashed potatoes.

The family made some small talk, but mostly just ate their great meal. When the family was stuffed to the brim and the Christmas pudding was all finished, they made their way over to where the tree had been set up and started to decorate. They had enchanted Muggle lights for the tree that didn't require any of that "eckeltricity," as Arthur said it was called. Molly and Bill finished the popcorn garland as Arthur was busy fussing with the lights ("Why is it that when one goes out, they ALL go out?" he complained), Percy was too little to help, and Charlie would eat more popcorn than he would put on. Granted, he still did eat _quite_ a bit, but Molly and Bill managed to finish before Charlie ate all of it. Nobody ever really wanted to help make the popcorn garland, but, being who he was, Bill kindly offered to assist. Another example of how sweet and thoughtful he was.

The tree had been set up, the lights were _finally_ working, the ornaments and garlands were strung about, and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, well, at least as much as you could expect a five year-old to give. The children were in bed, and Molly and Arthur had put the presents under the tree. They quietly made their way up to bed, careful to not disturb their sweet little ones.

The morning of Christmas 1977 was a crazy one. The majority of gifts had already been opened, and the Christmas Stollen had been reduced to mere crumbs. Charlie was playing around with his new toy dragon, a Hungarian Horntail that spat enchanted fire, Percy was napping on the couch, and Bill and Arthur were playing a new game of Exploding Snap. Molly looked under the tree to see one last present; it was addressed to her from Bill. She opened it, curious, to find a red polka-dot apron. She was astounded; wasn't it just last night that she'd said to herself that she really needed a new one?

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist; Molly looked down to see Bill giving her a hug. "Merry Christmas, Mummy," he whispered.

Molly, hugging her son, whispered back, "Merry Christmas, sweetie. Thank you."


End file.
